Festival of Devotion
by DeirdreofChalphy
Summary: The Day of Devotion's festival - A day dedicated to romance, whether it was established years ago, or had only bloomed recently. In which five couples from the Order of Heroes celebrate this special day in their own unique way, told in short vignettes. (Crossposted from AO3)


The annual Day of Devotion festival was in full swing. Stalls of various bright colors lined the streets, the town square's gardens were filled with flowers, and crowds of various couples walked around the festival grounds hand in hand. Some looking at the various goods on display, whether they were candies, flowers of all kinds, or other gifts to give to a loved one, others were just taking a steady stroll and enjoying the beautiful weather, and others still were just sitting next to the fountain, cuddling close.

At the very peak of the festival, there was a massive fighting tournament for couples, with the prize being enough chocolate to last an entire year. Several couples entered, whether to win the chocolate, to test their skills, or to just generally have fun. Of course, just like the previous tournaments held during the holidays in Askr, this one in particular was once again dominated by the Order of Heroes, with the winners this time being Roy and Lilina.

Even after the tournament ended, though, the festival's livelihood didn't even wane slightly. In fact, it only increased, since various couples in the Order went off on their own to celebrate. Any thoughts of the war against Múspell and their upcoming expedition to Nifl temporarily vanished from their minds. Today was a day for couples, whether their love bloomed in their world, during the war or even romances that had yet to bloom, to relax.

* * *

"Oooh! Takumi, come look at this!" Oboro said with a wide smile as she dragged Takumi over to yet another stall.

Takumi winced a bit as his wife tugged on his arm, desperately trying to keep the large pile of packages he was holding onto from falling over.

"W-woah! Slow down, Oboro!" He said, wincing again as the pile shaked a bit. "I don't wanna drop any of these!"

Hearing this, Oboro stopped in her tracks, turning to face Takumi with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Oh! Sorry about that…" The spear master laughed just as sheepishly. "I guess I got carried away again…"

"I'd… just say you're very passionate today, Oboro," Takumi said as he shook his head, sweatdropping. "Especially since you're buying all of this stuff just for me. Which… you really don't have to do, by the way..."

Oboro just giggled gently in response, her smile becoming warm. "Ohh, come on, Takumi. There's no need to be modest! You've honestly been spoiling me a lot ever since we got married, so today, it's only fair that I return the favor and spoil you for once, you know?"

"That's… true…" Takumi replied with a nod, sweatdropping further. "But are you sure you have to? I'd be perfectly happy just spending the day together with you…"

"Hee hee… I know. Don't get me wrong, I'd love that too, buuut… it's a special day today. It'll be my treat, okay?"

As Oboro talked, that sweet and gentle smile that Takumi found it impossible to say "no" to appeared on her face. He could slowly feel his reservations melt away as he smiled back at her.

"Heh… Fair enough," He gently chuckled with a nod. "So… what did you find for me this time?"

"Oh! RIght! Here, look at this!"

Takumi's gaze trailed over to where Oboro was pointing towards on a stall with various stuffed toys. When it stopped, he found himself looking at a small hand knitted kinishi plush toy that carried a plush heart in its beak.

He had to admit, it looked quite cute.

"Oh, this?" He chuckled gently as he looked at it. "Yeah, it's nice, but isn't this the third plush you've found for me today?"

"Yeeeess?" Oboro giggled back with a coy nod. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"No! No, of course not!" Takumi replied, rapidly shaking his head while laughing again. "But still, do you really think I'm that much of a guy for stuffed toys?"

"Well, obviously you have to be!" The spear master said with a smirk. "Why else would you say that you liked each and every one of them?"

If Takumi wasn't carrying his tower of gifts, he would have thrown his hands up defensively. Nevertheless, his smile never left his face.

"Hey! That's only because you picked them out for me!" He said, starting to smile wider. "What can I even say besides you have great taste?"

"Weeell… It's true that I have an eye for style…" Oboro smirked widely as she paid for the stuffed kinishi and added it to the pile. "Buuuut are you sure you're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"I mean absolutely every single word and you know it, Oboro," Takumi replied in a soft tone, his smile becoming warm. "After all, you mean the world to me."

He punctuated his last sentence with a gentle kiss to Oboro's cheek, making the spear master blush.

"Awww… You really are a sweet talker, Takumi," She giggled softly. "And I'm pretty sure you already know that you mean just as much to me."

That was all that needed to be said. The couple just stood there, looking into each others' eyes warmly in complete silence. After a brief moment, the two of them slowly started to lean towards each other, eyes closed and lips puckered.

Before their lips met, though, the gifts in Takumi's arms shook dangerously, earning a surprised squawk from him as he tried to reorient himself.

Oboro's eyes shot open at this, and when she saw her husband's plight, her sheepish smile returned.

"Oh, uuuh… Is the pile getting too big for you?" She asked with an awkward giggle.

"Yeeeah, I get the feeling it is…" Takumi replied, giving an awkward nod as he sweatdropped.

A contemplative frown appeared on Oboro's face as her eyes scanned the pile of gifts. After a quick glance at the Order's base, she gave a quick nod.

"Mm… yeah, I think we should take all of this back to our room…" She said, her eyes going back to Takumi's gift tower. "Do you need any help carrying all of this?"

"Sure, I'd appreciate that," Takumi awkwardly chuckled in response. "After what just happened, I don't know if I could do it all by myself…"

"Truuue…" Oboro giggled softly as she took some of the gifts from the top of the tower into her arms. "And we could just enjoy the festival by ourselves afterwards like you wanted to, right?"

"I'd love nothing more, Oboro," Said Takumi. He nodded warmly with a loving smile, causing his wife to return it.

With a silent nod of agreement, the two of them started to make their way back to the Order's base to drop off Takumi's gifts. Even though their shopping spree was abruptly cut short, their day had only just begun.

* * *

"Heeey, Boooey!" Mae called out to her boyfriend with a mischievous smirk, her arms behind her back. "Guess what? I got a gift for you!"

Boey's eyes widened for a minute before he turned to her with a heavy blush, his arms darting behind his back as well.

"O-Oh, Mae! What a coincidence!" He said, a small, nervous smile on his face. "I... just so happen to have something for you, too!"

Mae raised an eyebrow at Boey's stuttering, but she was quick to dismiss it, mentally shaking her head.

"Ooh, really now? You do?" She asked, tilting her head in a teasing manner. "Mind telling me what it is? Or better yet, why don't ya show me?"

"H-hey, you're the one who said you had a gift first..." Boey replied, sweatdropping. "Isn't it fair that only fair that you show yours before I show mine…?"

Mae pursed her lips for a moment, a seemingly contemplative look on her face. "Mmmmnn… Maaaybe I should…" She muttered to herself before suddenly shaking her head as her smirk returned. "Naaah, I think I'll wait until you show yours. I asked you first, so it's only fair!"

"W-wha?" Boey sputtered a bit, his embarrassment slowly being replaced with a deadpan expression. "What happened to "ladies first"?!"

"Weeelll, that's simple!" Mae let out a quick laugh and smirked wider. "The lady gets to see her gift first! I thought that was obvious, Boey!"

Boey could feel his eye twitch slightly as the faintest hint of a pout appeared on his face. He tried to hide it, though, breathing in deeply as he tried to play it cool.

"Haah, okay, fine... " He finally relented, letting out a sigh as he nervously shifted around. "I just… I guess I was worried about whether you'd like it?"

Mae blinked a few times, her smirk disappearing off her face in favor of a confused frown. "Eh? What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head again. "How could I hate what you're gonna give me?"

"I dunno, I… Maybe it wouldn't suit you?" Boey said, his grip tightening slightly on Mae's present.

There was an awkward pause as Mae raised an eyebrow. Her frown intensified and she lightly folded her arms. "And what the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Boey's body went rigid as a nervous shudder went through his body. He knew full well that if he didn't choose his next words carefully, he'd definitely have a very irritated Mae to deal with. Normally, he was perfectly capable of handling her, even when she was at her worst, but now was definitely not a good time to tick her off. Especially when doing so would risk ruining a day that they were supposed to be happy together.

After taking a deep breath to gather his bearings, he looked right at his girlfriend and spoke up again.

"Well… uhh… I wasn't sure if you'd like it for… one reason or another…" He said, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"One reason or another?" Mae asked, raising her eyebrow further. "What is that reason, even?"

It was at that point that Boey decided that he had enough. He was absolutely tired of beating around the bush, and got the feeling that if he continued, Mae would be more irritated with him than if he just showed her damn gift already. And so, the white haired boy grit his teeth before he threw all caution to the wind.

"Okay, you know what? Fine!" He raised his voice as his arms shot from behind his back and pushed his gift towards his girlfriend. "Here! I-I got you this, okay?!"

Mae's jaw dropped, both at Boey's sudden outburst and at the gift he was carrying for her.

The gift itself turned out to be a stuffed bear with light brown fur, holding onto a bright pink stuffed heart in its arms. The words "Will you be mine?" were stitched into it, as well.

The next few moments were in an agonizing silence. Boey's eyes were tightly shut, preparing for the worst. He completely expected Mae to laugh at his gift for being too "girly", or get mad at him for getting snippy with her in the first place.

Instead, though, Mae let out an audible gasp, taking a hand off the object behind her back to grab the bear from Boey's arms.

"Ohmygosh, Boey! It's amazing!" She said cheerfully, a massive grin on her face.

"H-huh?" Boey opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he saw Mae holding onto the bear closely with her free arm. "You… think so?"

"Oooh, I KNOW so! It's just so dang cute and soft!" Mae replied with a nod, cuddling the bear close before a gentle frown appeared on her face. "But... Why didn't you think I'd like it?"

Boey sighed gently, shaking his head with a brief shrug. "I dunno… Maybe I was worried that you'd find it 'too girly'..."

"Uuuuhh… Why would it be 'too girly', Boey?" Mae asked as she raised her eyebrow and tilted her head again. "You know I like cute things too, right?"

"Oh, yeah… right…" Boey nodded sheepishly, sweatdropping. "I… guess I wasn't thinking, since I wanted to get a gift for you today, and I wanted it to be just right…"

There was a brief pause before Mae started laughing. An irritated look appeared on Boey's face until he noticed his girlfriend's warm smile.

"Just right? Really? Aw, c'mon, you don't have to bend over backwards for me like that, you big goof!" She said, moving the bear in her arms so she could pat Boey's shoulder reassuringly. "I mean… today's a day for couples, right? Even if I didn't like this amazing gift, so what? I'm with you, and that's what counts!"

Boey gently smiled at Mae's reassurances, a warm feeling in his heart. He let out a sigh of relief, giving her a quick nod.

"Heh… Yeah, and today was pretty good so far, wouldn't you say?" He said, letting out a soft chuckle.

"Oh heck yeah, it was absolutely amazing!" Mae nodded in response. Her smile only got wider as she held her new stuffed bear closely. "This little guy's only the cherry on top!"

The pink haired girl was about to continue her train of thought, but her eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Oohh dang it, I just remembered!" She moved her other hand from behind her back, bringing whatever she was holding in towards Boey. "Here's your present, Boey!"

Boey blinked a bit as he looked at the gift Mae got for him. It was a heart-shaped box colored a soft red, with a pretty pink bow wrapped around it. When he took the box from her hands, Boey was quick to hear a faint rattling noise.

"Is this what I think it is…?" He asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Yep! It's a box completely full of chocolates!" Mae nodded rapidly, her smile widening. "And they're good chocolates too! I made sure of that!"

"Oh, thank you, Ma-" Boey barely had time to finish before the possible implications of what his girlfriend said hit him. He blinked a few times before a deadpan expression appeared on his face "Wait a minute… you ate some of them, didn't you?"

"Whaaat? No! Of course not!" Mae rapidly shook her head, a look of mock hurt on her face. "There's nooo way that I took some for myse-"

Before she could finish her sentence, though, she was suddenly interrupted when Boey kissed her deeply on the lips. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a bright red, but she was quick to kiss her boyfriend back. The two of them held their lips together for a few moments, both of them relaxing their bodies the entire time…

But when Boey separated from her, the deadpan look on his face remained.

"I knew it... " He let out an exasperated sigh as he shook his head. "You DID eat some of my chocolates. I could taste it on your lips."

Mae's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, sputtering a bit at his accusation.

"H-Hey! Boey, you jerk! That wasn't fair at all!" She yelled, her eye twitching slightly.

"Oh really?" Boey replied as he folded his arms. "And it was fair that you did the same when you accused me of taking your caramels?"

"I… that… Okay, you have a point, but still! I really did want to test those chocolates, but I only meant to take one! I couldn't help myself because they were so dang good! And besides, I didn't take them all, did I?"

"No, true…" Boey shrugged a bit, but his unamused stare didn't leave his face. "But… you really should've asked first."

"Heeey, I paid good money for those chocolates!" Mae pouted slightly, clutching her bear close to her. "I wasn't gonna just give 'em to you if you were gonna end up hating them! What kinda crappy present would that be?"

"You still could have at least asked when you gave them to me!"

Mae let out a small defeated huff at that. "I forgot about that, okay? And besides, you were gonna share them with me anyway, weren't you?"

"I…" Any sort of reply that Boey could have come up with dissipated before it could even come out of his mouth. After a brief pause, he finally let out a defeated sigh. "Very well... You've got me there, Mae…"

Rather than smirking smugly at her victory, though, a warm smile appeared on Mae's face instead.

"Yep! I knew it! So do you wanna go and share 'em by the fountain?" She asked, offering her free hand.

A warm smile of his own appeared on Boey's face as he took his girlfriend's hand with a nod.

"You know what? I'd love to, Mae," He said, gently squeezing her hand.

"Great! Let's go, then!" Mae's smile widened as she suddenly dragged Boey off, making him squawk.

Despite his surprise, though, the warm feeling in Boey's chest only intensified. Despite the fact that they were constantly butting heads, even on a day like this, their love for one another was still as true as any other.

* * *

"Sigurd? Is something wrong?" Deirdre asked her husband with a concerned frown. "This is the fifth flower stall you've been staring at…"

Her words managed to snap Sigurd out of his thoughts. His eyes slightly widened, but when he turned to face her, he tried to hide his nerves and uncertainty behind a gentle smile.

"Ah, did I get distracted?" He asked with a gentle chuckle, his smile becoming a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry, Deirdre, I guess these stalls really have a way of catching my attention…"

Deirdre wasn't convinced, though. Her frown deepened as she slowly came closer to Sigurd's side, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure it's just that, though? It looked like something about them was bothering you…"

A soft frown of his own appeared on Sigurd's face as he let out a defeated sigh.

"Well… you could say that... " He said, his shoulders slumping sadly. "I… was actually hoping to buy you a bouquet, but… I have no idea what to even get for you…"

"Really? You were going to buy me flowers? Oh my goodness, Sigurd! That's so sweet of you" Deirdre's face lit up with an eager yet warm smile before she lightly tilted her head. "But… why haven't you been able to pick something out? You gave me flowers several times back in our world, and you didn't have any trouble then…"

"I… I already did... " SIgurd let out a sad sigh as he averted his gaze. "I had a bouquet already made and ready to give it to you, but… Virion took it from me and threw it out…"

"W-what? Why would he even do something like that?" Deirdre gasped, raising a hand to her mouth with a horrified look on his face. "Even if he's just as much of a flirt as Alec is, I didn't think he'd ever stoop that low…"

"I… Apparently, there's an entire 'language of flowers' that I didn't even know about. After he threw away that bouquet, I got a long lecture about it…" Sigurd replied, sweatdropping. "Apparently, yellow carnations mean 'rejection' and 'disdain'..."

An awkward silence followed after that. Deirdre's mouth hung open slightly in disbelief, blinking a few times.

"O-oh…"

"I'm afraid it's true…" Another sigh escaped Sigurd's lips as his shoulders slumped again. "After that, I'm back to where I started, and I have to choose what to even give to you with even greater care…"

Deirdre's concerned frown was quick to return. "But… why? Are you sure it matters that much? It doesn't matter what kind of flowers you gave me… I found them beautiful all the same…!"

"I know, but… It DOES matter, Deirdre!" A hint of sadness and frustration found its way into Sigurd's voice, which only served to make his wife even more concerned. "Today's supposed to be a day where you can show your true feelings to who you love…! What kind of husband would I even be if whatever I give you isn't perfect?!"

"S-Sigurd, please!" Deirdre desperately called out, putting her hands on his arms. "You really don't have to worry about this! I know that you love me more than anything else, and I do as well! You don't have to go out of your way for a 'perfect bouquet' to show me that!"

The tension between the couple slowly started to dissipate, with Sigurd slowly calming down at his wife's reassurances. He let out a relaxed sigh as he slowly pulled her into a hug.

"Yes… You're completely right, Deirdre," A warm loving smile appeared on his face as he spoke. "I'm sorry, my love… I shouldn't have left something like that get to me. We came to this festival to enjoy ourselves, and something simple like a bouquet of flowers shouldn't ever get in the way of that."

"Hee hee… I forgive you, Sigurd," Deirdre replied, returning his loving embrace. A gentle smile formed on her lips. "Being by your side will always be the greatest joy I that I will ever know, and nothing will ever change that. And on a day like today…? That will be even more true…"

"Deirdre…"

No more words needed to be spoken. The two of them exchanged a quick yet loving kiss, causing a spark of passion to briefly flash between them. When they separated, they continued to stay in each others' arms for another few moments before they stopped their embrace.

Sigurd was the first to speak up afterwards. "Thank you, Deirdre. But… I still want to get you some flowers, at least." He paused for a moment, chuckling with a sheepish smile. "I still think they'd fit for a day like today, and… well, I don't want all that knowledge Virion drilled into my head go to waste…"

"And that's perfectly fine to do so," Deirdre replied with a giggle of her own. "But please, don't let finding the perfect bouquet consume you, alright?"

"I won't. I promise," Sigurd said with a shake of his head before he took a quick glance at the flower stall behind him. "I'll just take quick glances at… most…"

All of a sudden, though, he trailed off. His eyes slowly widened and his jaw dropped in shock as he slowly turned towards the stall.

"Sigurd? Are you alright?" A concerned frown was quick to appear on Deirdre's face as she slowly approached her husband.

"I… yes, I'm fine, Deirdre," Sigurd absently nodded as he took a step forward. "But… could you excuse me for a moment? I think I might have seen something…"

"Sigu-"

Deirdre couldn't even finish her sentence before Sigurd dashed over to the flower stall. She blinked a few times in pure confusion as she watched him talk to the man running the stall and buy a bouquet of flowers.

She barely even had time to process what just happened before Sigurd dashed back to her side with said bouquet in hand.

"I'm sorry about that, Deirdre," He said, the sheepish smile returning to his face. "But as luck would have it, I found the perfect bouquet for you."

When he held it out for her, Deirdre took it into her hands and looked it over. It was a relatively small bouquet, not because of how many flowers were in it, but because the light blue flowers themselves were on the small side. To anyone else, the bouquet looked completely unremarkable, but to Deirdre, she was able to recognize the flowers in a heartbeat.

"Sigurd… are these…?" She let out a gentle gasp, her eyes widening a little. "Are these forget-me-nots…?"

"Yes, they are," Sigurd replied with a nod as his smile became gentle and loving. "I only had to take one look at it to know that they were nothing less than perfect for you."

Deirdre blinked a few times again, slightly tilting their head. "Oh? They were? Is it because I told you that I loved watching them bloom in the Spirit Forest when I was younger…?"

With a gentle chuckle and a nod, Sigurd's smile only became warmer. "Well, yes, I'll admit that's only part of why I got them," He said as he slowly started to wrap his arms around his wife again. "But there's actually a much bigger reason."

"There is? Really…?" Deirdre lightly gasped again she looked up, staring into her husband's eyes. "What could it possibly be?"

"It's actually one of the flowers that Virion suggested that I could use in a bouquet…" Sigurd replied. He slowly started to lean in, bringing his voice down to a soft, loving whisper. "It means 'true, faithful love', 'a connection that lasts through time'... and most importantly… 'memories'. I thought it was the perfect way to show that we will never be separated, even after your memories were stolen…"

The only sound that could be heard after that was yet another gasp from Deirdre as both her husband's words and the bouquet's implications hit her at the same time. She lightly put her free hand to her heart, her eyes widening and her jaw hanging open in pure shock. There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared into each others eyes before her mouth finally became a warm smile.

"Sigurd… Oh my goodness, Sigurd…" Deirdre's arms went straight around her husband, tears forming in her eyes. "You… you were absolutely right. These… These are so… perfect…"

She kept trying to open her mouth to form further words, but she was completely unable to. All she could do was to continue to cry out more tears of joy as she hugged him close to her.

After a bit, though, she finally found her words again.

"S-sigurd… Sigurd… Thank you so much…" She said between her gentle sobs. "I… I love it… I-It's the best bouquet I have ever received… Even more than all of the others..."

"Words can never truly describe how much that means to me, Deirdre…" Sigurd replied with a smile as he wiped a few tears away from Deirdre's face. "And I don't think there's any purer way to show my love to you…"

The two of them shared another kiss at that moment, but this time it was longer and much more passionate. They were both off in their own little world, with the only things that they were aware of were each other's' embrace, the bouquet in Deirdre's hands, and the feeling of their lips pressing tightly together.

After what seemed like an eternity, they soon broke off for air. They stared into each other's eyes again lovingly, their mouths curled up in warm smiles.

"Well… It looks like we've managed to solve that problem quickly, haven't we?" Sigurd broke the silence with a chuckle.

"Hee hee… indeed we did," Deirdre nodded quickly, her smile widening a little. "And now we can spend the rest of the day enjoying ourselves without any more worries."

"Of course. And I'd love nothing more," Sigurd said, breaking the embrace before he offered his hand to his wife. "Now… Shall we, my love?"

Deirdre just giggled in response, taking Sigurd's hand in her own. "Yes, my love. Being by your side is the greatest joy I could think of."

With one last quick kiss, the couple resumed their walk amongst the festival grounds. The lovely weather only enhanced the joy the two of them were feeling after they reaffirmed the eternal love they had for one another.

No matter what, they would never be separated again. They would do everything they could to make sure of that.

* * *

"Oooh my goodness… That is a LOT of candy…"

Lilina and Roy shared a look of pure bewilderment as their gazes travelled up the absolutely massive mountain of boxes before them. The various assortments of chocolates, caramels, lollipops and other sugary delights towered over their heads, threatening to tumble upon them.

"I know... They REALLY meant it when they said that it was a year's supply..." Roy said, his tone a mixture between awe and confusion.

"I… Roy, there's absolutely no way that we could possibly eat all of this…" A gentle frown appeared on Lilina's face as she turned to her boyfriend. "We'd probably just get sick after eating even a small fraction of it!"

Roy sweatdropped a bit and shook his head. "I wasn't even planning on that…" He replied with a frown of his own. "I was hoping to get you some candy as a gift today, but… not to this amount…"

"Right…" Lilina let out a gentle sigh, glancing back at the pile of candy for a brief moment. "Honestly, I was expecting today to be simpler. We would have spent the day just meandering around the town square hand in hand while we enjoyed the early spring weather… We'd exchange a few gifts… And then we would have climbed the tallest hill in town and watched the sunset from there…"

As she spoke, her eyes looked up as if she were lost in a daydream. Her hands were clasped together and her her mouth was slightly upwards in a lazy smile. Soon, though, it started to become a small frown again. "But instead, it looks like we were caught up in that tournament…"

Roy cringed at this, a guilty expression on her face. "O-oh, right… I'm so sorry, Lilina..." The redhead lightly averted his gaze with a sad frown. "I didn't mean to ruin your plans for the day…"

"What?! Nononono! Please, don't worry about that, Roy! I had a lot of fun!" Lilina rapidly shook her head in response, placing a hand on his shoulder to try and reassure him. "But… I guess I was just surprised. I mean, you usually don't tend to jump at this sort of thing, right?"

"No, that's true… I don't," Roy lightly shook his head. His frown became a bit smaller, though it remained on his face. "I'm not really sure what made me think of it, but… I guess I felt like it was the perfect opportunity for me to prove myself…"

"Prove yourself?" Lilina blinked a few times in confusion, slightly tilting her head. "What do you mea-"

Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization before she gently gasped and frowned more. "Ooh… you mean to father, right…?"

Roy just nodded slowly as his frown intensified again. "Yes… exactly…"

"I… see, but… why?" Lilina asked, looking at her boyfriend with eyes full of concern. "I thought he gave you his blessing…?"

"Yes, he did… But… Even then, I still feel like I had to work for it," Roy said, slowly closing his eyes in contemplation. "Uncle Hector was watching my every move when we were close together, and he only relented when father, Aunt Lyn and Kiran told him to calm down…"

"That's… true…" Lilina's frown intensified with another nod. "I'll admit, he was overbearing when he first joined the Order. I've noticed him glaring at some of the men who talk to me… And he's even confronted a few of them afterwards... But… again, I thought he had calmed down about that lately?"

Roy took a deep breath before he sighed. His eyes reopened, but his contemplative frown remained. "A little, yes, though I honestly can't help but feel like he still has his doubts…"

"Are you sure, though? He hasn't been watching you like a hawk from what I've seen..."

"I know, but… I still see him frown a bit concernedly whenever he looks at us…" Said Roy. His eyes opened again, and Lilina could see a hint of fiery determination in them. "Which is why I wanted us to enter the tournament together. I wanted to prove to him that I'm strong enough to keep you safe!"

"Oh, Roy…" Without warning, Lilina reached over and embraced her boyfriend in a gentle hug. Roy blinked a few times in surprise before he returned it. "You didn't have to go that far… I know that any concerns that Father would have about you will go away, given time…"

"I… I trust you, Lilina…" Roy smiled for a brief moment before his contemplative frown returned. "But… I still don't have any idea why he was like that in the first place. Wasn't he perfectly fine with us being close when we were kids?"

There was a small pause as Lilina averted her gaze sadly before she continued. "He was… But… I think he was acting like that in Askr because… he knew that he would... d-die in my time…"

The revelation brought a heavy silence upon the couple. The only other sound that could be heard from Lilina was a soft sigh as she closed her eyes and tilted her head down. A few tears came out of her eyes as the painful memories of hearing the news of her father's death unwillingly played through her head.

A mix of sadness and pain appeared on Roy's face as he cringed. He grit his teeth as the memory of Hector's death briefly flashed through his mind as well before he turned his attention back to Lilina.

"I… Lilina, I…" He struggled to find something, anything to say to his girlfriend, but he came up with nothing every time.

Eventually, though, Lilina was the one to speak up next. She picked her head up and opened her eyes, looking at him with a small, sad smile.

"You don't have to say anything, Roy..." She said, tightening her embrace around him. "He… he told me that he knew that he'd die long before I was even born…

As Lilina went on, her expression became more and more pained. "And… and he wanted nothing more than to spend time with me…" Her eyes slowly closed, sniffling a few times as tears started to flow. "A-as a father before he… h-he…"

Before she could finish her sentence, though, Roy cut her off with a gentle kiss to her lips. Lilina's eyes widened slightly, letting out a muffled noise of surprise before she returned it.

When they separated, the two of them stared into each other's eyes, with Roy smiling reassuringly at his girlfriend.

"Lilina… You don't have to say anything else," He said as he held onto her in his embrace. "I think I understand why he acted the way he did before, but… Do you forgive him?"

"I…" Lilina blinked a few times in confusion at Roy's question before she gently nodded with a smile. "Yes, I do. Even if he was watching over me a little… too closely… I know that he still had my best interests at heart…"

As she continued, her eyes slowly went up in remembrance, her smile growing fond. "And he admitted that he might have gone too far with his protectiveness and apologized for it too." A gentle giggle escaped her lips. "He also said that even as my father, he had some growing up to do, himself…"

"Hah… That did sound like him in a way," Roy laughed for a moment as well before looking back into Lilina's eyes. "But again, either way... I trust you, Lilina. I know that he'll warm up to our relationship completely. And when we return to our world… I'll always be by your side. I promise."

"Roy… Thank you… And I'll never leave you, either," Lilina replied with a happy smile that was as wide as humanly possible.

Nothing more needed to be said. Roy and Lilina slowly leaned towards each other, sharing another more passionate yet still gentle kiss. The two of them had their arms tightly around each other as they did so, and the only things they could feel besides each other's lips were their heartbeats.

When they broke their kiss a few moments later, they continued to hold each other in their arms. Lilina rested her head on Roy's shoulder and closed her eyes halfway, letting out a content sigh. Roy just chuckled, running a hand through his girlfriend's hair.

Their intimate moment was suddenly interrupted when Lilina noticed something through her half-lidded eyes, though. She gasped sharply, her eyes widening in realization as she picked up her head.

"Ah! The candies! We forgot about them!"

Roy made a confused noise at Lilina's sudden reaction, blinking a few times. He turned his head to where she was looking to confirm that yes, the massive pile of sugary treats was still there.

"O-oh… right…" He said, a sheepish smile finding its way onto his face. "We never decided what we were going to do with them…"

"Weeell, again, there's no way we could eat all of this…" Lilina said as she broke away from Roy's embrace to examine the mountain of boxes. "Sooo… why don't we give them out to some of the couples instead?"

"We could…" Roy nodded with a contemplative look on his face before it became a concerned frown. "But are you sure you want to do it now? It would take up the rest of the day, and you still had plans…"

Lilina just giggled in response. "Oh, don't you worry about that!" She said, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek. "I know it'll take up the rest of the day, but it doesn't matter! I'm spending it with you, and that's more than enough to make my day!"

Roy's expression gently softened as he nodded slightly. "That's true… and the same can be said for me, Lilina. Even if it's hauling around boxes full of candy."

"Exactly! So… are you ready for this, Roy?" Lilina asked with another giggle.

"With you? I'm always ready," Roy chuckled as the couple exchanged a quick kiss. Afterwards, he reached over to grab the closest box on the pile. "But anyway… why don't we start with giving some to Uncle Hector and Aunt Lyn? I think they'd enjoy it, especially since they entered the tournament too."

"Ooh, that sounds great!" Lilina clapped her hands before grabbing another box. "And we can give another box to Uncle Eliwood and Aunt Ninian after that!"

"Now that sounds absolutely perfect, Lilina," Roy nodded with another chuckle. "So let's go then!"

"Right! Onwards!"

And with that, they went off back into the festival, boxes in hand. The two of them had wide smiles on their faces, knowing that even if today wasn't the most conventional method of spending a day devoted to loved ones together, all that mattered was that they were spending it together.

* * *

As evening began to settle in, the festival started to slow down. Some stalls closed down, couples started heading home and the park's groundskeepers started cleaning it up.

Despite all that, the day still wasn't over. There were still a few stalls that were selling goods, including Commander Anna's, and several couples were still out, enjoying the gentle evening air. Some of them, however, were sitting down with each other to watch the sunset.

One such couple was sitting on top of the tallest hill in Askr's castle town to watch the evening sky together. They were leaning into one another closely, tightly holding onto each other's hands.

"You were right, Alfonse... " Lucina said with gentle awe, briefly glancing over to smile at her boyfriend. "The sunset is absolutely beautiful from here."

"Yes, it truly is," Alfonse replied with a quick nod and a chuckle. "You always did love to watch the sunset, didn't you?"

"I do… I truly do…" A small, reverent smile slowly made its way onto the princess's face. "I will always consider it to be one of the most beautiful sights that I've ever seen in my life…"

"And that's something I've always known about you," Alfonse reached a hand up to Lucina's head and gently ran it through her hair. "Do you remember that evening a few days after you joined the Order? That was when I found you standing out on a balcony, watching the sun set…"

The prince's smile slowly widened, laughing softly as a nostalgic look appeared in his eyes. "There you were, tears streaming down your eyes… yet you had such a happy smile on your face. It was the first time I've ever seen you so happy…"

"I… I couldn't help it back then…" Lucina's smile slowly became sad as she kept her gaze on the horizon. "In the ruined future that I came from… I was never able to watch a sunset. Me and my friends had to keep running away, and if we let ourselves get distracted for a single moment... all could have been lost…"

"Lucina…" A concerned frown appeared on Alfonse's face. He gently put an arm around her to pull her close before wrapping both of them around her comfortingly. Lucina's smile became soft as she looked at her boyfriend, slowly relaxing in his embrace.

"But… That evening in Askr… Even when I was getting used to being part of the Order of Heroes, I subconsciously knew that I was safe. I knew that I could watch a sunset without any fear of a Risen ambush… and when I did… I couldn't help myself…" As she spoke, Lucina's smile slowly. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, a few tears of joy to run down her cheeks. "Because… In that moment, I realized how beautiful and pure the world was... Even if it was a world that wasn't my own… And even with the war against Embla looming over me… I felt so free for the first time in years… And I knew that if I succeeded in changing my own future, my world would be just like yours…"

"Heh… I know…" Alfonse said as he continued to lovingly run his hand through Lucina's hair. "You told me all of that back then too, didn't you? That that even when you were rallying the people in your future and ensuring that they never gave up no matter how bleak everything was…"

"I had never felt so hopeful until that moment…" Lucina finished, gently wiping her tears away with a smile. "Because it was the perfect reminder of what I was fighting for…"

"Exactly…" Alfonse's voice lowered to a whisper as he continued to cuddle his girlfriend close. Lucina hummed a little in content, resting her head on his shoulder. "And we've been watching every sunset that we possibly could ever since…"

"Mmmmmhmm… And I loved every single time that we did... Especially because you were there, talking with me," Another gentle laugh escaped Lucina's lips as she nuzzled her head into Alfonse's shoulder. "Because… during those times, I knew that I could let my guard down. I finally had the opportunity to be myself again…"

"Yeah... And I loved every single time we watched them…" Alfonse chuckled gently, nuzzling his head back into his girlfriend's.

"As did I, Alfonse…" Lucina replied before the two of them leaned up to share a quick yet loving kiss.

When they broke away, the couple remained silent for a while. They started to nuzzle into each other again with their arms wrapped around one another as they watched the sun slowly set.

When the sun was halfway down, though, a gentle frown found its way onto Alfonse's face. He gently reached out and tapped Lucina on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Lucina? ...Can I ask you something?"

"Mmmmnn…?" Lucina's eyes slowly fluttered open before she looked up at Alfonse's face. "What is it...?"

"I… well, I was just wondering… Did you ever miss this?" He asked, his frown slowly intensifying.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Lucina's content expression slowly became a confused frown, and she slightly tilted her head. "What would I be missing?"

There was a brief awkward pause before Alfonse gave his answer. He let out a sigh as his frown intensified. "I mean… When… When you left the Order… to… return to your world… Did you ever miss watching the sunset...?"

"Oh…" A sad, guilty look suddenly appeared on Lucina's face as she averted her gaze. "I… yes, I did…" She said, a sad sigh of her own escaping from her lips. "The first few nights after I returned were the most difficult for me… Because… not only was Ylisse even more dangerous than Askr with not just the second war with Plegia, but also with the arrival of the Risen… And I knew how urgent my mission was, so I… I couldn't afford to stop for any reason, and…"

For a brief moment, the princess's eyes shut tightly. She involuntarily shivered, only stopping when she took a deep breath. "I… It made me realize that I wasn't safe anymore..."

"Lucina…" Alfonse's frown intensified as he tightly wrapped his arms around her. Lucina visibly calmed down a little, but she still looked quite upset.

"And… I… I felt so alone, too… I… I couldn't show myself to father… To Aunt Lissa… To anyone else..." Tears slowly started appearing in Lucina's eyes as her words started to slur. "I… even in the ruined future, I had my friends… and in the war against Embla… I… I had Sharena… I had Commander Anna, Zacharais and… and you… B-But… when I returned… I… I didn't have anybody…"

She wasn't able to continue her thoughts after that. The princess threw her arms tightly around Alfonse and buried her face into his chest while sobbing incoherently.

Alfonse cringed slightly, but held onto his girlfriend tightly as he slowly and gently ran a hand down her back. It didn't stop her sobbing, but it helped her calm down a little. Her crying started to get quieter as her body started to shiver less and less.

"Ssshh… Please, don't cry, Lucina…" He said in a soothing whisper as he rubbed her back. "You're here with us now. You're here with me now. You don't have to hide yourself anymore… And you don't have to feel alone ever again…"

"I… I…" Lucina's crying slowly came to a stop. She slowly picked her head off of Alfonse's chest to look into his eyes, tears glistening on her face.

"I know… I know, Alfonse…" The princess let out small, ragged breaths, but a grateful smile slowly found its way onto her face. "And… and… Oh, gods, I couldn't possibly be happier…"

Alfonse opened his mouth to reply, but quickly decided against it when he noticed that Lucina was slowly leaning in with her eyes closed and her lips puckered. He let out a small, gentle chuckle as he did the same, their lips meeting in the middle for another kiss.

As the two of them slowly deepened it, Lucina scooted upwards so she would be more comfortable in Alfonse's lap. In response, he slowly moved his right hand up to her head to stroke her hair again, while keeping his other arm gently wrapped around his waist.

Time almost seemed to stand still as they held each other in their gentle embrace. Lucina could feel her fears, apprehensions and stress all melt away completely as her lips were tightly pressed against Alfonse's.

After a while, though, they eventually had to break their kiss so they could breathe. The two of them were panting steadily while warm smiles slowly formed on their faces.

"So…" Alfonse was the first to speak up, keeping his arms around his girlfriend. "Do you feel any better now?"

"Yes… I do…" Lucina answered with a gentle nod, her smile growing wider. "Thank you, Alfonse… I truly needed that."

"I'm so glad that I could help you like this…" The prince smiled more as he planted a loving kiss on Lucina's forehead. "And now that you're back… we can watch as many sunsets together as we want to."

"Yes… I know we can…" Tears started to stream down Lucina's face again, but this time, they were tears of joy. "And… And knowing that I could do this with you again… I couldn't be happier…"

"And I couldn't be either, Lucina…" Alfonse whispered gently, resting his forehead against his girlfriend for a brief moment before looking over her shoulder at the horizon. "So… shall we finish watching this sunset, then?"

"I would love nothing more, Alfonse…" Lucina replied, briefly kissing his cheek.

With that said, the pair fell into a calming silence. Lucina scooted around in Alfonse's lap so she could better face the sunset, resting her head on his chest with a gentle hum. The prince let out one last chuckle as he wrapped both of his arms behind her stomach, letting them cuddle close.

As the sun slowly faded over the horizon, a warm feeling settled down in Alfonse and Lucina's hearts. It was the perfect reminder that they could rest easily together, and even if they couldn't, they were never alone.

* * *

Like all good things, the Festival of Devotion had to come to an end eventually. When night finally fell, the town square and park were completely empty. The last stalls were closed down, and everyone went home to sleep, awaiting what the next day would bring them. The Order of Heroes in particular needed a good night's rest, knowing that they needed to prepare for their expedition to Nifl as much as they possibly could.

And yet, despite the dangers that loomed over their heads, there was no tension in the air at all. All they could focus on at the moment was the beautiful day that just passed, whether they spent it with their families, their closest friends, or their loved ones. It served as a perfect sample of the peace that they were fighting for, and it made them even more determined for the trials that lay ahead of them.

There was no way that Múspell's flames would shatter their peace. They would prevail, not just for the sake of the people, but for the sake of their loved ones as well.

* * *

A/N: Whew, this is a project I've been working on for a while! And I probably would've finished it earlier if I thought of it at the START of the month... I started it on the night two days before Valentine's day, and it took a biiit over 11 days... XP But really, either way, I was really motivated to finish this story. Mostly because of how sweet I think it is!

But yeah, this is a fic centered around couples! It takes place after the paralogue for Love Abounds, and as you can see, my concept was to show off multiple couples in the FE series and how they celebrated the festival. Now, if you'll let me, I'll explain each pairing and their section in a biiit more detail...

*Oboro/Takumi: Honestly, this one's the shortest and the most simple of the stories, but it doesn't make me like it any less. There's really nothing much to say about the pairing itself, but I really love how devoted Oboro is towards her liege. Anyway, as for the story, I kind of like the idea of Oboro shopping a whole lot for her loved one on a day like this. And you know that trope where women buy a lot of stuff and the guy has to carry it all? Well, I thought that it could be kinda sweet in a way if all of that stuff were gifts for her loved one. Plus, one of Takumi's lines in the Home castle in Heroes is that how he likes to spoil his retainers, so why not have Oboro do the same for him? But yeah, it's cute and fluffy, and even if it's short, I don't think there's any way I could make it better.

*Boey/Mae: Here's a canon pairing! And I gotta say, I love how the two of them play off each other. This was really fun to write, mainly Mae's teasing of Boey, the image of Mae snuggling that teddy bear is really cute, and how despite all their bickering, they really love each other. Now, the possibility exists that Boey kissing her to see if she ate his chocolates might be mean-spirited, but I wanted to make it clear that no, it's not much of a problem for them because it happens a lot, and it's kinda how they bicker. And agian, they love each other, so there's that... But again, I thought it was funny and a joy to write in general.

*Sigurd/Deirdre: I'll admit... I've never played Genealogy of the Holy War, as much as I want to. But I LOVE this (canon) pairing. Like I said elsewhere on the internet, if there's a Genealogy remake and it has support conversations... I want these two to have a support chain. If not one that further develops their relationship, it should be one that's akin to Clive and Mathilda's support from SoV. Also, if their dialogue's cheesy... Yeah, that was kind of the point, and it looks like I succeeded!~ And yes, there ARE flowers with negative meanings! Look them up! I researched the language of flowers a little bit to write this; Mostly for flowers with negative meanings, and to solidify the meanings of Forget-Me-Nots. Also, the fact that they grow in the Spirit Forest is an arbitrary detail that i threw in to make Sigurd giving them to be sweeter.

*Roy/Lilina: I primarily wrote for these two because they're in the Love Abounds banner, and they make a good couple! And they won the tournament, too, so I wanted to show how they were taking it... Even if the game didn't say that the prize was a year's supply of candy, I just assumed it was from previous paralogues XP Also, as for Hector's overprotectiveness... I saw one or two people on the subreddit mention that the fandom seeing him like this would lead to an unhealthy relationship with his daughter, so I focused on that a bit and noted that yes, he's in the wrong and he realized it, and he has his reasons... Hopefully it's not too forced... XP But yeah, I think it looks good either way!

*Alfonse/Lucina: Hoo boy, the elephant in the room... Now, I know some of you are gonna see this and think "What is this pairing? It has less chemistry than Alfonse/Fjorm!" (And I've seen quite a few people in the Heroes subreddit say that Alfonse/Fjorm is a bad pairing, but I digress), but hear me out first. You know that in chapter 2, it's mentioned that a Hero left Alfonse's side? Well, me and a friend actually headcanon that the Hero in question is Lucina. Or to be more specific, the masked Lucina in the Tempest. I have a whole story surrounding the two, but for brevity's sake, I'll talk about it another time. I might even write a fic on it! So yeah, with that headcanon, I think it's a similar pairing to Alfonse/Bruno in terms of chemistry. But yeah, this focuses on the two of them, and the fact that Lucina and Alfonse were close, and how lonely it was for Lucina to leave, in a way... I think it's pretty sweet that they were close when they finally reunited!

Also, sorry about the formatting if it looks weird. It looks fine on Ao3 and Deviantart, but for some reason screwed it up and I had to fix it manually... Gah, that's not cool!

Well, that's all I gotta say about this for now. Do you have any questions? Comments? Concerns? Please tell me what you think!


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